Chapter 920: Chapter 113: Street Scene from Twenty-Four Years Ago
Katerina stared blankly at the spilled coffee, sluggishly lifting her head: “What happened?”
A strand of clear snot flowed out with her words.
Lu Li looked out the window, the shadow of the forest was gradually slowing down, and the running snowstorm became milder.
Hss—
Steam spewed out from the side, and the carriage shook violently before coming to a complete stop.
The rising steam was dissipating, and the stationary train fell into silence.
Soon, a waiter came from the front of the train to the VIP carriage.
“I apologize, passengers, the tracks ahead are frozen and impassable.”
“How long will it take?”
Katerina didn’t want to speak, Evildoers and Puxiu were unsuitable, only Lu Li could communicate.
“It’s unclear… the conductor is contacting Sulger Town and Horse Foot Town for assistance…”
The waiter rushed to the rear carriages after speaking.
Panic and shouts briefly penetrated, blocked by the closed carriage door.
Minutes later, the waiter returned to the VIP carriage, advising them to stay in the carriage, keep quiet, and wait for the tracks to thaw.
The snow was still falling, with no sign of getting heavier or lighter; the train probably couldn’t restart before the snow stopped.
“Will there be an accident?” Puxiu asked quietly.
No one answered him.
After a wait, the conductor hurried through the carriage, stopped by Puxiu to ask again.
“Please rest assured, the ancient seals are not just for show.”
The mustached conductor didn’t realize it was Puxiu speaking, repeating what he had said a hundred times: “The train’s ancient seals are meticulously carved by Master Proxius, there’s no need to worry about safety, as long as you don’t leave the carriage… You are…”
Upon boarding, Lu Li had already removed his cloak to reveal his true face.
“Keep it a secret,” Lu Li said.
“Of course… esteemed guest.” The conductor placed a hand on his chest in a respectful salute, walking backward out of the carriage.
Not long after, they saw the conductor, donning a coat, leading four shivering, complaining workers with tools past the carriage to inspect the frozen tracks.
After a while, they returned to the train.
The situation was not good; the frozen section was long, advancing almost a mile without escaping the ice. Chipping away with manpower was not feasible. Information coming from the outside was also bad; the Harsh Winter Season’s first snowstorm hit the entire northern Main Affinity Continent, even including Vena Ice-Free Port.
No one knew how long this cold spell would continue, or how long the freeze would last either…
As a relief to the conductor, the renowned Exorcist was actually aboard the Voztek, and they should expect rescue soon…
Time passed, during which the waiter replaced the charcoal in the heater once, keeping the VIP carriage from cooling due to the external cold.
The passengers in the rear carriages didn’t have such luxury; they had to bundle up in heavy clothing for warmth.
The snow was a bit heavier, falling into the forest in a vast white expanse.
If one could ignore the danger itself, this seemed like a rare moment of leisure.
Approaching noon, a thin layer of mist loomed in the depths of the withered forest.
Initially hidden in the snowfall, it gradually became clear, slowly drifting in from deep within the jungle.
“It’s the Mist of Strangeness! Why is it here now!”
Puxiu’s incredulous outburst drew everyone’s attention.
Looking at the drifting mist, Lu Li pondered, “Could it be the fog tide?”
“Impossible. Fog tides don’t appear arbitrarily; they only roll in from the sea.” Evildoer replied, fog tides appearing without warning.
Moreover, this mist came drifting from the south — which meant it crossed the entire Main Affinity Continent to reach here.
“It might be Fog Berths…”
Katerina shook her head. Fog Berths never moved because they “berth.”
Both Mist of Strangeness and Fog Berths were ruled out; Evildoers couldn’t sense any strange aura, yet nobody believed it was ordinary fog.
The anxious conductor arrived, first asking Lu Li if he knew the fog’s origin, then politely hoping Lu Li could allow passengers from other carriages into the VIP carriage.
The VIP carriage was warmer, with more ancient seals.
Faintly, the noise from the adjacent carriage could be heard.
“Let them in,” Lu Li said.
“Thank you for your help.”
The conductor left to pass on the message, Evildoers looked at Katerina, who had just held back a comment: “What did you want to say?”
“Nothing.”
“Then I’ll be the bad guy.”
“Better not, Mr. Evildoers,” Puxiu suddenly stopped Evildoers from voicing selfish matters: “We follow Mr. Luli because of humanity’s brilliance, don’t we?”
Evildoers, like Katerina, hesitated, then lightly shook his head.
“I hope you won’t regret this decision, since I only have five days to live.”
The carriage door opened, and soon passengers flooded into the VIP carriage.
The conductor personally directed order, arranging seating for them, and scolding the fools who brought luggage.
Before the mist arrived, everyone on the train crammed into the VIP carriage, with whispers and cries echoing around.
The conductor reminded everyone it was Lu Li’s party allowing them in, amid gratitude, some passengers suspiciously observed Lu Li’s black hair and eyes, recognizing him.
The mist had already reached the edge of the forest, its approach suppressing the whispers within the carriage, curtains drawn, the atmosphere becoming oppressively heavy, leaving only the sound of nervous breathing.
The last snowflake vanished, enveloping the train in fog.
In the fog obscured by curtains, shadows gradually stirred.
Lu Li glanced at Evildoers, who shook his head in response.
This time Katerina lowered her head, looking down at the coffee cup held in her hands, the shadow of the cup emerging on one side.
She looked up at Lu Li, realizing he had already noticed the anomaly, along with everyone else gazing outside.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, dappled light danced in the dusty carriage, a brightness and warmth many hadn’t seen before.
Some looked down blankly, inhaling the comforting scent of sun-warmed clothes.
Outside, cacophony gradually rose, shadows on the curtain becoming sharper.
Braver passengers lifted a corner of the curtain.
They saw blue skies, white clouds, a broad, bustling, bright street with pedestrians, stray dogs wagging their tails and chasing butterflies, children playing and running, mothers carrying shopping baskets holding their child’s hand.
The carriage door had somehow opened, louder chatter from the street flooding in.
Finally, a passenger stood and walked out of the carriage.
“That’s an illusion.”
Lu Li told him.
“Mr. Luli, you are a person of that era; you wouldn’t understand how much we long for sunlight…”
The young man who recognized Lu Li donned a faded gray-brown narrow-brimmed round hat, smiling as he stepped off the carriage.
Passengers saw him step off the train, look around, smiling and waving at the people behind the windows, stepping towards the distance, blending into the figures on the street.
One after another, a dozen or so passengers who couldn’t resist the scenery outside the carriage stepped off, looking at the street curiously like children, smiles spreading as they gradually drifted away.
But many didn’t disembark. They spent Shillings to buy a train ticket, hoping to find a new life at Vena Unfrozen Harbor.
Minutes later, the mist suddenly thickened again, figures, noise, sunlight, all vanished in the fog.
The mist didn’t last long, quickly retreating back into the forest, vanishing.
Leaving only those in the carriage feeling lost and forlorn.